When is a dismissal justified - and what circumstances need to be taken into account before an employer decides to dismiss an employee? Various courts have confirmed that the circumstances do matter. So it is not possible to simply state X action requires dismissal. Ivan Israelstam provides examples to illustrate how an employer should consider all the circumstances before coming to a decision.

This week Ivan provides examples from decided cases of what would not be sufficient to justify dismissal, or make the continued employment relationship intolerable. This is compared with how the Labour Appeal Court has approached allegations of racism, or racist language as: “an anathema to sound industrial relations and a severe and degrading attack on the dignity of the employees in question”.

This week Ivan Israelstam explains how the word "unfair" is interpreted in labour law, and why it is so important for employers to understand what is regarded as unfair and what is automatically unfair. This is particularly important for employers to understand in relation to reasons for dismissal.

Not all discrimination is unfair. Choosing one employee from a group of applicants is making a discriminating choice between the applicants. As long as there is a valid reason for the choice, for example: in line with an employment equity plan, or on objective qualification requirements, the choice will not be unfair. However, if the decision is not made upon objective grounds, and a court makes a finding of unfair discrimination against your company, this can potentially have serious implications. Ivan Israelstam explains how this may happen and the financial consequences of such a finding.

Newly appointed supervisors and managers do sometimes find difficulty in understanding what is meant by a "fair labour practice". As Ivan Israelstam explains in this article, it is not quite as simple to identify what is unfair as it is to identify what is illegal in criminal law. This article sets out very plainly the questions managers and supervisors should ask themselves to determine whether their actions will be seen as "fair" - or unfair